Common colds, acute viral infections of the nose usually caused by rhinoviruses, are the most common acute illness in the United States and account for about one-half of all lost school days and lost work days. They are a major public health problem. An estimated one billion colds occur in the United States each year. Thus there can be no question as to the need for an improved method of administering antiviral agents, antirhinoviral agents, interferon, interferon inducers, T-cell lymphocyte mitogens, decongestants, drying agents, astringents, antihistamines, antibradikinins, and all other pharmaceutical agents suitable for shortening the duration of common colds that aid in minimizing said public health problem. Until recently, treatment of the common cold involved use of symptomatic therapy or soluble and ionizable zinc compounds applied to the oral and oralpharyngeal mucosa. Said zinc treatment was the first oral treatment to be used to shorten the common cold. All previous therapy, except treatment with interferon in some very specialized instances, do not reduce the duration of common colds when applied to the nose, by injection, or by the oral route via swallowing medicament. For example, with or without treatment, half of all colds last 7 days and the average duration of common colds is about 10 days, as the half-life of untreated common colds is 7 days. Primary common cold symptoms are nasal drainage and nasal congestion. Secondary symptoms often accompanying primary cold symptoms include headache, fever, myalgia, sneezing, sore throat, scratchy throat, cough and hoarseness and occasionally bronchial-sinusitis symptoms.